Seating units having various configurations and adjustments have been known in the art for many years. The breadth and variety of adjustable features on seating units are due to the desirability of furnishing a chair or seating unit which is adaptable to both a large number of people and which is also adaptable to a large number of seating positions for each individual user. These adjustments are used to provide maximum comfort in a seating unit.
It is particularly desirable to provide maximum comfort in office seating since a user must sit in such chairs for long periods of time and also since the user must be able to concentrate on their work without being distracted by uncomfortable seating. One desirable adjustment for a chair is the incorporation of a flexible area in the seat front edge upon which a user's thighs rest. This is particularly desirable in chairs having a tilting seat, so that as the user leans back in the chair thereby tilting the seat, the leading edge of the seat is depressed downward to allow the user's feet to remain on the floor.
Many different devices are known in the art for allowing the front portion of the seat to be depressed in the above manner. However, many of these devices require that the front thigh support area be manually adjusted and set at a particular position, thus remaining in that position until the seat is manually re-adjusted. Such devices are very adequate for some applications, but in other applications it is desirable that a user not be required to constantly adjust the front thigh support area. In such applications, the thigh support area should adapt itself constantly to the user's particular position.
Some chair front thigh support adjustment devices adjust automatically, but make use of complicated mechanisms. For example, most employ some type of linkage from the front of the chair seat to a stationary portion of the chair support. Such complicated mechanisms are costly to manufacture and assemble, and in addition, bulky and complicated adjustment devices are difficult to conceal internally to the seating unit. These bulky adjustment devices present an unsightly appearance to the overall design. An example of such unsightly features is the inclusion of a large knob for manual adjustment of the seat front portion, such knob being required to be exposed to perform its function. With the increased emphasis upon the visual appeal of office furniture, it is highly desirable that chair controls be maintained internally to the seating unit itself. It is therefore highly desirable that a front thigh support adjustment be simple in design so as to reduce the costs of the chair but maintain the desired adaptability to various uses and overall visual appeal.